Initial presentation for acute low back pain: is early physical therapy associated with healthcare utilization and spending? A retrospective review of a National Database.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Early initiation of physical therapy (PT) has been associated with lower healthcare costs and utilization; however, these studies have been limited to single institutions or healthcare systems. Our goal was to assess healthcare utilization and spending among patients who present for the first time with low back pain (LBP), according to whether they received early physical therapy (PT), using a large, nationwide sample; and geographic variation in rates of early PT and 30-day LBP-related spending.

Methods

Using the Truven MarketScan database, we identified nearly 980,000 US adults ages 18-64 years who initially presented with acute LBP from 2010 through 2014 and did not have nonmusculoskeletal causes of LBP. Approximately 110,000 patients (11%) received early PT (≤

SUBMITTER: Marrache M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9250203 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature